Monday, June 19, 2017

A tale even better than ‘Wolf of Wall Street’

Prudent: Of course, it is the courts and not US Department of Justice (DOJ), which is a government department, who will judge whether a crime has been committed. This will be automatic when the court decides to grant or not to grant the DOJ's application for the seizure of assets.

That said, the DOJ's application for the court's permission to seize the assets is based on supporting evidence that a crime has been committed. Such evidence would have been presented with the application for the seizure to the courts.

In the meantime, the DOJ's press release stated in unambiguous terms that a crime has been committed. Otherwise, the DOJ would not be filing to seize assets that they believe have been stolen.

To spin in such a way as to absolve Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) - that "no crime have been proven" and that "this is not about PM Najib Razak or even MO1" - is to lie blatantly, brazenly and shamelessly.

Well Thats Fantastic: Anyone that tries to lay blame for Malaysia's problems on the opposition is akin to the man who blames a woman for being raped because of what she wears.

The DOJ documents alone should be enough reasons for the suspension of high-ranking officers allegedly involved, pending investigation, but they have already ‘hacked’ the system.

FairMind: Bear in mind that the DOJ is seeking to seize US$1.7 billion (RM7.3 billion) in assets out of an estimated misappropriated figure at US$4.5 billion (RM19.3 billion) from the allegedly stolen 1MDB funds.

The recovery amount is only a small fraction of a very large amount. Some of the monies could have been well hidden or untraceable.

So, the earlier Malaysia takes action to recover the allegedly stolen money, the better are the chances to recover the money and preventing them from disappearing forever.

Jaycee: Yes, someday we hope Hollywood will make a movie out of this saga.

All the ingredients required for the movie are there - lust, greed, betrayal, abuse of power, back-stabbing, thefts, lies and more lies, deceit, denials, and the likes.

Vijay47: I am totally lost over the decision of judicial commissioner Faizah Jamaludin that the hearing of Najib’s application to strike out a suit related to 1MDB filed by Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua should be heard ‘in camera’.

The case is centred on allegations by Pua that Najib’s conduct and participation in the 1MDB issue were not within the law and the expected responsibilities of Najib’s office.

1MDB involves public funds, directly paid for by you and me, and when you stir in the positions of the two protagonists, the broth becomes of the utmost relevance and interest to the public.

Justice Faizah’s acceptance of the matter's impact on the country, yet disallowance of an open hearing on the grounds that the media may misreport it, is frivolousness at its worst.

‘In camera’ hearings are generally for security issues or sex offences. In the Najib-Pua case, nobody got raped, but I do agree, if you pardon my French, that we all got royally screwed.

Justice Faizah, your role in this judicial matter is to listen to both parties, weigh the facts and evidence, and come to a proper and fair decision based on the law. Whether you possess Solomon-like qualities is for God to decide and us to witness.

It is none of your business how the media choose to cover the proceedings. If they misreport what transpired, there are other agencies to take appropriate action, or the newspaper concerned can be sued by those who have been wronged.

Any trial can be misreported, be it a traffic matter, bank robbery, murder, or large-scale swindling by people in high places. They all face the possibility of being incorrectly reported. Going by your unique argument, all hearings should be behind closed doors.

I am sorry, Justice Faizah, but you sound very much like Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak. That is a comparison most people would want to avoid. Of course, it could be worse - you may sound like IGP Khalid Abu Bakar.

Versey: Since Justice Faizah agrees that the matter is of public interest, and there wasn’t enough space in her chambers, wouldn't it have been better to conduct the hearing in court, and allow the media to report the proceedings to show that there is nothing to hide and the court is transparent, just and fair to all parties?

Those who are keen to know more about the case could compare reports from all media outlets and judge the truth of the case for themselves.

Allowing the media to cover the hearing could also serve to ease the minds of the public, rather than prompting people to speculate that someone indeed has something to hide if the matter can only be heard in chambers.

Don’t Just Talk: Why is there a need to clear the court of the media when the hearing is of public interest, unless MO1 has something to hide relating to the 1MDB financial scandal?

The DOJ has taken steps to seize US$500 million from Jho Low over the sales of the Park Lane Hotel in Manhattan, New York, and another RM416 million in properties owned by the alleged master thief.

However, in Malaysia, a simple hearing over a misfeasance suit filed by Pua against MO1 needs to be heard in a closed court.

Anonymous 2474151496449952: Let this case be settled first before the media covers it. I fear the media may report the facts wrong intentionally, just to gain more popularity for their outlets and articles.

Anonymous 2447961480069542: All avenues relating to the proper investigation of 1MDB saga seem to be closed, including Parliament, where the House speaker would not allow the matter to be raised anymore.

Such a significant issue of public interest involving huge sums of public money and the nation's highest office holder is thus swept under the carpet. There has been no official explanation despite all the documentary evidence.

The judiciary appears to be the last bastion, but will it uphold the rule of law?

Mosquitobrain: I am sure Najib aka MO1 has "nothing to hide". The “Bugis warrior” should possess the spirit and guts to allow the hearings to be conducted in court. MO1, show us your "berani kerana benar" spirit.- Mkini